Sherman Peak Loop hike
Sherman Peak offers striking views of a landscape struck by the forces of nature. The loop takes you on a full-circle tour around 7011-foot the peak, revealing the mountain's two contrasting sides: a forest of lush green old growth, and one scorched by wildfire that resulted in a surrealistic landscape of silver snags.
Round trip: 5.3 miles
Elevation gain: 900 feet
Difficulty: (5/5) Very Difficult
Trailhead: Marked trail at Sherman Pass on SR 20, seventeen miles east of Republic
This hike offers striking views of a landscape struck by the forces of nature. The loop takes you on a full-circle tour around 7011-foot Sherman Peak, revealing the mountain's two contrasting sides: a forest of lush green old growth, and one scorched by wildfire that resulted in a surrealistic landscape of silver snags.
Head south on the Kettle Crest Trail. Cross SR 20 and start ascending. Under a cool canopy of larches, fir, and pine, the train twists and turns out of Sherman Pass. Come to the loop junction and bear left. Skirt beneath a steep hillside of ledge and scree. Stop for a breathtaking view of Sherman Creek Valley.
At about a mile, enter a radically different world, thanks to the White Mountain fire of 1988, which seared over 20,000 acres of Kettle Crest greenery. Through the skeletal remains of what was once a verdant forest, continue climbing.
As you round the pyramidial summit of Sherman Peak, signs are all around that the forest is coming back to life. A new row of greenery is slowly filling in the silver snags and hollow logs, creating a diverse forest important to wildlife
Reach a junction and return right on the Sherman Loop Trail. Like the landscape that you are traversing, mature forest is once again reached.
